Marisa Yerace

I’m writing this post with two exciting updates on finishing my PhD:

First, on April 4th at 3 PM EDT, I will defend my dissertation, “Mentoring, advocacy, resilience: Investigating strategies of agility by writing program administrators”–or, as insiders call it, “M.A.R.I.S.A.W.P.A.”

This defense will be public, with opportunities to attend in-person on campus or via Zoom. Much like the prospectus defense, there will be a 20-ish minute presentation followed by initial questions from my committee. Then, there will be time for an audience Q&A before the closed (non-public) part of the defense begins.

If you would like to attend, please register for the Zoom link here: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcodO-pqTIsH9W-4GB5m-VP2ulBRUbXJbx1, or email me for the on-campus location.

What happens when everyone is finally legally required to call me “Doctor?” Well, I get a cool English Professor job.

I’m so excited to share that I’ve accepted an offer to join the faculty this fall in the Department of English at Weber State University in Ogden, UT as an Assistant Professor of Composition Rhetoric / Technical Writing. At WSU, I’ll have opportunities to teach undergraduate and graduate courses, mentor Professional Writing students in undergraduate research, and hike regularly in the Wasatch Mountains. I really loved my visit there this winter, and I am looking forward to what comes next!

(I’m saving some of my job documents and tips for my colleagues in my grad program; if you are entering the academic market soon, especially the tough humanities market, please feel free to email me for these if they could help you.)

Here’s one of my favorite photos from my visit to campus–folks who know me, know this view is everything to me:

Onward!!!!!

MY